Lurberas
Lurberas, officially the Republic of Lurberas, is a sovereign island state located in the Zerhaldic ocean. It has a population of around 39 million as of 2010, 1.1 million of which live in the capital of Belzeku and 5.4 million in the country's largest city, Murcata. It is a parliamentary republic with Polen Humaras serving as its Prime Minister since October 2013 and Marchal Veneas as President since August 2009. It is a unitary state with 9 provinces. With a GDP of roughly $1.29 trillion, it is a highly developed country with a high standard of living. It is an important center for culture, entertainment, technology, and finance and is home to hundreds of multinational companies. The Belzeku Stock Exchange is one of the largest in the world with trillions worth of stock being traded every year. Lurberas has been a republic since the Lurberan Revolution of 1879 which was instigated, in part, by the October Massacre of 1878 in which 37 anti-monarchist protesters and 15 royal guardsmen were killed outside the Royal Palace. Since then, the country has had a troubled and turbulent history which includes the 1978 Irlabat secession attempt and the early 2000s recession. Religious tension between the atheist majority and Murserist minority has been an issue since the fall of the monarchy and remains a problem today. In 2007, riots began in the city of Zeitu after three, reportedly atheist, boys who were accused of raping and murdering 16-year-old Ionia Mursat, a Murserist girl, were acquitted after a six-month trial. Mass immigration of ethnic Nunks from the war-torn and economically devastated Kingdom of Narceni is also a concern which has also erupted into several violent incidents, most notably the Belera beating incident in 2005 in which four Nunk men were jumped and severely beaten by five Lurs. Nevertheless, Lurberas remains a global participant on the world stage and is a member of the Zerhaldic Nations Group, the WMF, the Forum for Nuclear Disarmament and various other organizations. Since 2011, Lurberas has also participated in various peace-keeping missions and has hosted several negotiations between feuding countries. As of 2015, it has diplomatic missions in 63 countries. Etymology "Lurberas" literally means "Land of the Lurs" in Old Lurberan, with "-beras" meaning "home" or "land". History 14th-15th century Lur colonization Further information: Colonization of Lurberas, Native Lurberans The island now known as Lurberas has been inhabited by humans for thousands of years. Ancient tribes formed clans that lived in four distinct areas of the island which have come to be known as the Native Sectors. The people that would become ethnic Lurs arrived on the island during the 13th century and began trading with the native tribes. The natives were not prepared for the diseases the Lurs brought with them, however, and their numbers began to fall. Outraged and fearful the foreign Lurs would destroy their society, clan leader Nuva Iekeknoan led a campaign against the Lurs in an attempt to drive them of out the island, starting the first of the Native Wars. He did this by primarily attacking trade posts, his first being the Seige of Kulumar in which his army was victorious. Later battles, however, would not prove as successful as the Lurberans, headed by Zotan Mumun began their retaliation. Their successful campaign at what is now modern-day Zeitu would turn the tide of the conflict. Ultimately, the natives would be defeated and nearly eradicated leading many natives to retreat and isolate themselves in small villages. Over time, they would gradually assimilate themselves into the new, Lurberan, culture. Formation of the Kingdom of Lurberas Further information: Farmer Rebellion of 1427, Zotan I On September 4, 1427, after the defeat of the natives, Zotan Mumun declared himself King of the Lurs as Zotan I and took residence in the newly established capital of Belzeku, which remains the capital of Lurberas today. His claim was met with resistance, however, namely by peasant and farming Lurs who believed they and their society had no need for a king. Using weapons they acquired during the native wars, they attacked his residence in Belzeku, severely damaging it and causing the King to flee to the nearby village of Ioptoek. There, he was able to reorganize his army and plan for a counter attack. He launched an attack and siege against Belzeku in order to take back the city. He was victorious and was able to either drive out or compel the surrender of hundreds of rebels. This would prove to be the end of the brief campaign against Zotan and he once again took residence in Belzeku, ordering the construction of the first royal palace where his formal coronation ceremony took place on December 25, 1427. His new kingdom faced many problems including widespread hunger, a war-weary army, and numerous hostile countries looking to exert dominance over Lurberas. Vinesean invasion of 1466 Zotan I died in 1452 and was succeeded by his son, Zotan II. Zotan II's kingship was marred by the invasion of Lurberas by Vinese on March 28, 1466. The Vineseans captured almost one-third of Lurberan territory and were heading to Belzeku. Zotan II's army was well-equipped but was untrained and had not seen combat in some time. Plus, many soldiers were decades-long veterans and still needed time getting accustomed to serving Zotan I's son. Zotan II sent them to stop them at the Tix River. The battle of the Tix was inconclusive. Both sides sustained many losses but Zotan was successful at stopping the Vineseans' advance. He used this bought time to prepare a counter-offensive. He sent his foreign minster, Tuplan Vunack, to the Kingdom of Ju Aran which was a global supplier of arms in order to negotiate an arms deal. Meanwhile, Zotan II's army was having difficulty keeping the Vineseans at bay and Zotan II began using his small navy to mount a small bombardment which was marginally effective. At Ju Aran, Vunack was surprised when Queen Hesha Aran offered to participate in the war on Lurberas' side, on the condition that Ju Aran would be allowed limited use of Lurberas' ports which were strategic areas and the main reason why many countries sought to secure influence over Lurberas. Zotan II was somewhat skeptical, but Ju Aran was a neutral country towards Lurberas and it made no prior indications that it intended to conquer or subjugate Lurberas. Vunack thought the offer was a godsend and advised his king to immediately accept, which he did shortly before the Vineseans were beginning to advance. Ju Aran entered the war on February 17, 1467 and immediately tipped the conflict in Lurberas' favor. The Vineseans were not at all expecting a third party becoming involved, especially not one that was well-armed as Ju Aran. They were quickly driven out of Lurberas, securing victory for Luberas and Ju Aran. Over the war, Zotan II became ill and wounds he sustained from battle were not healing properly and eventually became infected. He died two years after the war's end and was succeded by his son, Bau I. 16th-19th century Rise of Murserism By the 16th century, missionaries from the Kalaal region arrived in Lurberas, bringing with them the holy texts and other literature of the Murserist religion. They began constructing various chapels and temples and begun preaching the word of Murserism. The religion spread quickly through out Lurberas, culminating into the conversion of King June I on May 20, 1510, who declared by proclamation that Murerism was to be the state religion. This began the era known as the Esaran Age (from the Lurberan word "esa" which means "reserved", referring to the traditionalist and conservative culture of the period). The conversion put the Lurberan monarchy at odds with many who still adhered to local folk religions. The monarchy responded by imposing a tax on non-Murserists with the Conversion Act of 1511. Much of the revenue raised by this tax went to fund the construction of Murserist churches and temples. People who converted to Murserism solely to avoid the tax became known as 'shaists' and faced persecution and scrutiny from the government which compelled some to become full-fledged members of the religion. As the decades went on, however, the royal family began relaxing its enforcement of religious codes and ethics. War with Hanag For the first quarter of the 18th century, King Je-Aark of Hanag in the Teteran continent had been trying to influence Lurberas. He did this by increasing pressure on Lurberas to begin trading with Hanag. Lurberas was in serious need of iron, which Hanag was in abundance of. Hanag offered Lurberas a trade agreement that would involve Lurberas receiving iron at a reduced price. Lurberas was reluctant to accept, as it did have other, albeit less certain, means of acquiring iron. Mining in Lurberas was in its infancy and was rife with accidents with little production. It was not uncommon for a crew not to produce a single ounce of iron in a day's work. Betting on mining conditions to improve was a risky one. Lurberas could not afford to turn down the offer Hanag had presented. It accepted and began receiving shipments the following month. Hanag would soon take advantage of Lurberas' new dependence on it. Je-Aark began exerting more power over Lurberas by decreasing the shipment of iron it was sending to Lurberas while raising the price, completely forgoing the reduced price it had offered to Lurberas in order to secure the deal. King Bau II's trade minister, Genald Centyus was sent to Hanag to demand answers. Hanag told Centyus that several mines had caved in, resulting in their temporary shut down which increased the cost of iron. In reality, this was a lie. No cave ins were reported in that time frame. Centyus, however, oblivious to the truth was satisfied by this answer but his king was suspicious. On a gamble that Hanag was lying, he sent several spies to inspect the mines for cave ins. He did not notify his defense minister nor any other ministers in order to maintain plausible deniability. Three spies were captured by Hanag while one managed to safely return. He reported that the mines were in fact fully functioning and in operation. Still, this was not solid proof that Hanag was lying as Bau wanted. Now, he had a diplomatic crisis unfolding as Hanag was demanding to know why three Lurberan spies were illegally in the country and threatened to cut off all shipments of iron. On April 11, 1766, before even receiving an answer, and hoping to catch the Lurberans off guard, Je-Aark ordered an attack on a Lurberan naval base destroying 5 ships and killing 219 sailors. While it did come as a surprise to Bau that Hanag would attack so soon, he was anticipating an attack from Hanag and immediately ordered an assault of Hanagi cities, using ships from the opposite side of the country that had been quietly preparing for an attack. The assault was moderately successful. It destroyed key areas of Hanag's weapons manufacturing which hindered Hanag's ability to respond. Bau took advantage of the delayed response and ordered a full-scale land invasion. This decision was costly. Lurberas used almost two-thirds of the iron it bought from Hanag manufacturing ammunition for the invasion. The invasion itself was relatively intense but Luberas was successful in capturing three coastal cities, which allowed Bau to compel Je-Aaark to the negotiating table. Lurberas' demands were simple: Return the three Lurberan spies, cease all trade with Lurberas, and Lurberas withdraws from captured Hanag territory. Je-Aark was hesitant to accept. He knew his army had more resources than Bau's and that it wouldn't be difficult to drive the Lurberans out and go for an invasion. But Hanag's tenuous relationship with the Zanath Republic was beginning to falter and Je-Aark did not want to waste effort punishing an impoverished Zerhaldic state when a more worrying threat was looming. A peace accord was signed on June 22, 1767 which ended hostilities between the two countries. The incident with Hanag caused Bau's foreign policy to take a more isolationist approach. Lurberas was weak and interacting with predatory states could doom the country. He focused the remainder of his reign attempting to improve the Lurberan economy with the hopes of achieving self-sufficiency but was plagued by the political backlash caused by the revelation that he sent four spies without notifying any of his ministers. Enlightenment and decline of Murserism Further information: Enlightenment ideals in Lurberas, 1875 Lurberan wheat farm nationalization As the monarchy began adopting a less stricter approach to upholding traditionalist values, Enlightenment values such as reason, humanism, and republicanism had begun spreading to Lurberas. Criticism of the Murserist religion, which would've resulted in severe penalties a century earlier, were know being spoken aloud in public. Lurberans were becoming disillusioned with religion, and by extension, the royal family. Dissatisfaction with the monarchy would come to ahead with the nationalization of all wheat farms in the country by Queen Agreia in 1875. The farms, which had failed to meet their state-mandated quota for the fourth year in a row, were seen as classical symbols of Lurberan labor, peasantry, and the common public and to have them under control of the disconnected monarchy was unacceptable to many Lurberans. Several members of Parliament, even those who were loyal to the monarchy, heavily criticized the nationalization. October Massacre Further information: October Massacre The first open violence against the monarchy would occur after the October Massacre on October 14, 1878 when, at a protest outside the Royal Palace, an unidentified boy was shot and killed, allegedly by a royal guardsman. Another protester reportedly returned fire at the guards which started a shootout that ended with 15 guards and 37 protesters dead. The incident was national outrage. Riots began in cities across the country and thousands gathered outside the palace. Parliament convened an emergency session to determine what, if anything, should be done to respond to the incident at the palace. Kernan Muladar, a member of Parliament from Lakura delivered a two-hour long speech on the House of Delegates floor describing his reasoning and support for a Lurberan republic. The speech was well received by MPs in session and Muladar became a de facto leader of the republican movement. Revolution of 1879 Further information: Lurberan Revolution Ignited by republican fervor inspired by Enlightenment ideals, a group of 300 to 600 overwhelmed the guards and stormed the royal palace, arresting the royal family and imprisoning them at the local city jail in Belzeku while Parliament convened again to propose and debate a resolution to dissolve the monarchy. Such a resolution was proposed by Vereni Kutan as Bill No. 412. She delivered a hour and a half long speech supporting the resolution which was met with a standing ovation. Notable exceptions were Yanci Olano and Kenten Salaras who were vocally opposed to the unfolding events and described them as 'Myopic" and "Hasty". It is reported that a small scuffle broke out between Salaras and another MP after getting into a heated debate that required the two being removed from the floor. Parliament voted 197-4 to dissolve the monarchy and replace Queen Agreia with a president that would elected by the Senate. In order to strengthen the legitimacy of the new republican government, Parliament was dissolved shortly after Bill No. 412 was approved and new elections were held two months later which saw the New Foundation Party win a majority of seats in the House of Delegates and Hunson Klemeno became the first post-monarchy Prime Minister. The new Senate then elected Vence Tuso as the first President of Lurberas. Somewhat controversially, the State Prosecutor, Juman Lonas, declined to press any formal charges against the former queen and royal family, ordering their release from jail a few days after Bill No. 412 was passed. After the monarchy was overthrown, many Murserists believed their religion was under attack and began forming tight-knit communities for solidarity. The city of Zeitu became the largest of these communities and today remains the largest Murserist majority-city in Lurberas and is an important center for Murserist culture, thought, and belief. 20th century Industrialization The 20th century began with the industrialization of Lurberas and the decline of agriculture's importance in the Luberan economy. New technologies became available that allowed more production with less labor and many Lurberans began to work in factories. Labor unions began to form, which resulted in the first labor strikes in 1929, hailing the start of the labor movement in Lurberas that still has considerable influence today. Strikes over working conditions were common and were resolved fairly quickly. Many factories began preemptively improving conditions to avoid a strike, but this often came a cost some were not able to recover from. As the boom from industrialization slowed, Lurberas became increasingly urbanized. People who had lived on farms for centuries were now moving into suburban neighborhoods. Murcata was a booming industrial city that saw a escalation in population and remains the largest city in Lurberas today. The industrialization of Lurberas was not without social consequences, however. There was a distinct gap between the laboring factory workers and the wealthy owners that began to grow. Class envy and warfare threatened to disrupt the burgeoning economy. Recession of 1936-38 The recession of 1936-38, also known as the Astara (from astar meaning "depression" in Lurberan), had a devastating effect on Lurberan society. Millions of Lurberans became unemployed and poverty skyrocketed. The country's GDP declined by 26% during the first year of the recession. The value of the Lurberan kiru fell by around 50% which projected adverse effects of the recession onto other countries.The government responded by enacting various social welfare programs, increasing the public debt by almost 130%. Taking on so much debt so suddenly shook lenders' confidence in the Lurberan government, but Lurberas' credit rating stayed at a perfect AAA throughout the recession. Among the various social effects caused by the rescission was the resurgence of fiscally left wing and socialist ideals. Coupled with a cultural background of agricultural labor, support for a generalized welfare state peaked during this time period and labor parties won majorities across the country. Murserist populated regions had a complex relationship with this burgeoning of leftism. Most Murserists generally accepted the principle of a larger welfare state but rejected the socially liberal ideals many leftists were advocating at the time. Resurgence of Murserism The rise of crime and social ills such as alcoholism, gambling, and drug abuse during the rescission compounded with the increase in social liberal ideals led to the resurgence of the traditionalist conservative beliefs of Murserism. The city of Zeitu's population had increased by over 30%, mostly of new converts to the religion. These new converts to the religion were often called neo-Murserists and often touted slightly more conservative variations of the religion while maintaining core beliefs. 1978 Irlabat secession attempt One of the most intense political crises occurred over the course of 1978 and culminated into an attempted provincial secession by various opponents of the ruling Prime Minister at the time, Zelana Kekeron. Kekeron was a member of the Lurberan Family Party, precursor to the modern Lurberan Family Union, and was attempting to pass a package of bills aimed at weakening the political grip Murserists Represented had at the Irlabat legislature which had just enacted several laws which the LFP government accused of being discriminatory to non-Murserists. MR rejected these claims and instead accused Kekeron of being an athiest, despite her profession that she was in fact a Murserist as well. The local valayen from her hometown of Jureta challenged her profession, revealing that Kekeron had not attended takabath in over five years and asserted that her claim that she was a Murserist was based on her parents' membership to the religion. Protests where held in Zeitu and Belzeku which eventually grew out of the control of local police. Some 3,000 protesters were arrested and MR referred to them as political prisoners in their party newspapers. Anger in Zeitu continued to increase and threatened to erupt into violence. Kekeron called an emergency meeting with President Benza Supera and asked him to approve a measure to declare a state of emergency, which would suspend Parliament and allow Kekeron to enact temporary laws by decree. Supera was reluctant to approve and was quoted as saying "The Murserists want to be antagonized and this will surely fit their bill" but Kekeron insisted, arguing that if the situation isn't calmed now, it would become much worse. Supera approved Kekeron's request and a state of emergency was declared on April 19, 1978. Two days later, Kekeron issued a 10PM curfew in the Irlabat province and declared all anti-government protests to be illegal and authorized the police to disperse the crowds. While Kekeron expected this to be end of the crisis, the situation horrifically backfired. The once-peaceful protests erupted into full-scale riots in Zeitu and throughout Irlabat and other Murserist-populated areas of Lurberas. Fearing the safety of police officers, Chief of the National Police, Yanci Wenton, allowed all officers to use deadly force. On June 9, 1978 Renard Gunerd, a 29-year-old police officer from Imparadaen, fired upon a crowed of rioters and killed 10 of them. No other officers opened fire and they made their retreat. Gunerd said he opened fire because the group of rioters were beginning to surround and overwhelm him and his comrades but other officer reports seem to contradict this. The incident cemented hatred of Kekeron's government and party members of Murserists Represented began calling for her impeachment, calling her a murderer and tyrant. Kekeron denounced the killing but did not prohibit or restrict officers' use of lethal force. In Zeitu, the situation was reaching its peak. The provincial legislature convened an emergency meeting that was held in secret. After meeting and adjourning for three days, they called a press conference and announced Irlabat's unilateral secession from Lurberas as the 'Sovereign and Divine Republic of Irlabat'. The secession was immediately declared illegal by Kekeron and ordered the resignation of all provincial legislators and threatened them with a treason charge if they refused. Irlabat responded by demanding the immediate resignation of Zelana Kekeron and dissolution of her government and new elections. LFP met and debated on removing their leader. Speaking about the crisis years later, LFP delegate Genten Hosmok said "The consensus was that Kekeron's attempt to mitigate Murserist encroachment on civil liberties had grown completely out control and that she was making it a personal issue with each passing day. A civil war would have likely broken out if she was allowed to lead any longer." The LFP voted overwhelmingly to remove Kekeron from office and replaced her with Tutaran Qolo. Qolo immediately promised to negotiate with Irlabat and reversed the state of emergency, rendering all decrees issued by Kekeron null. Replacing Kekeron, who was perceived as fanatically opposed to political Murserism with someone seen as a moderate already did much to help calm the situation. The riots in Zeitu began to wane down. MR said it will re-unite with Lurberas if it received a promise that all future LFP governments would not attempt to pass any legislation that would target Murserists. Qolo immediately accepted as he was primarily concerned with ending the crisis before it seriously grew out of hand. On October 4, 1978, the Irlabat provincial legislature voted to reintegrate back with Lurberas. Qolo, with approval from President Supera, dissolved the national parliament and new elections were held which saw MR win the most seats it had ever won previously or since. The crisis helped reignite Murserist pride and solidified the general belief among Murserists that they are a persecuted class and that an independent Murserist state will soon be necessary. Groups such as the National Murserists continue to advance that goal today. Since the end of the crisis, the relationship between the LFP and Murserists has again become strained. The LFP dissolved and was succeeded by the Lurberan Family Union (LFU) which MR says is the party's attempt to circumvent their earlier promise to not introduce any legislation that targets Muserists. MR delegate Ionis Tyuns said years later after the crisis' end "They think that since its now the LFU and not the LFP they can break their promise to us." Contemporary era Nunk immigration While previous centuries were defined by religious conflict, the 21st century has begun defined by ethnic conflict. The Kingdom of Narceni fell into an intense civil war which displaced hundreds of thousands, many of whom managed to immigrate to Lurberas, which offered more economic and political stability. Lurberas had never opened its border to such a large scale immigration and many Lurs, conservatives in particular, began to feel Lurberan culture was not equipped to handle it. The state-sponsored Lurberas Works! program was started in 2004 and was aimed at assisting new Nunk arrivals and unemployed Lurberans find jobs suited to their skills. It also offered free Lurberan language courses to Nunks. While it was moderately successful, the program was extremely controversial in Lurberas. Some conservatives accused the government of being more concerned for the welfare of foreigners than for Lurs. The left argued that these concerns were based in xenophobia and racism and that the Nunks were assimilating well into their new environment. Prejudice and hostility towards Nunks became increasingly common and many Nunks began moving into poorer Nunk-majority areas. Belera beating incident On April 28, 2006, while walking home from a restaurant in Belera, three Nunk men were jumped and severely beaten by a group of five Lur men who were reportedly intoxicated as they had just returned from the local bar less than a mile away. Before the beating occurred, witnesses stated the two groups became enthralled in an intense argument over some unknown subject. One witness said she thought she heard one of the Nunk men yell "He's got a knife!" before being attacked by a Lur. Emergency services arrived about six minutes after the Lurs fled the scene and the three Nunks were rushed to the Belera Community Hospital. Doctors described their injuries as "grisly" but they all eventually made a full recovery after a two-week long stay. Four of the five Lurs were arrested two days after the beating and the fifth turned himself in about a week later. All were charged with three counts of attempted murder. The incident was a national outrage the moment it hit the airwaves. Thousands of Nunks began protesting outside the Sakaban Provincial Capitol demanding justice. Murserists Represented publicized the incident as another example of Lurberas' increasing hostility to minorities. Public opinion of Lurs was mixed between those condemning the attack and those believing the Nunks provoked the Lurs. On June 11, 2006, a judge ruled that all five men would be tried together. Originally scheduled for September, the trial was postponed three times by the defense, who claimed it was having difficulty finding a neutral jury. Eventually, on February 10, 2007, the trial began with a crowd around 1,100 people, mostly Nunks, demonstrating outside the courthouse. After almost two weeks of arguments and testimony, the jury went to deliberation on February 23, 2007. The jury, which took four days to render their verdict, found all five men guilty of attempted murder and were each sentenced to 7 years in prison with the possibility of parole after four years. The verdict was praised by the Nunk and Murserist communities and met with mixed reactions from the Lurs. In 2011, parole was granted to three of the five men.The remaining two were released in 2014 after serving their full sentence. 2007 Zeitu riots Government Parliament Main article: Parliament of Lurberas The Parliament of Lurberas is divided into two chambers, the upper Senate which has 45 members, and lower House of Delegates which has 205. Delegates are usually elected every two years by general election, though the Prime Minister, with approval from the President, can dissolve Parliament and call for a snap election under certain circumstances. Enfranchised citizens vote for and elect a candidate to represent their parliamentary district at the capitol. The most recent election was held on October 7, 2013 and the next election is scheduled for October 5, 2015. Each province elects five Senators and who represent five regions of their province. Prime Minister Main Article: Prime Minister of Lurberas The Prime Minister is elected by the House of Delegates and is conventionally the leader of the party with the majority of seats, currently Polen Humaras of the United Left, which is a coalition of the Social Democratic Party, the Lurberan Socialist Party, and the Marxist Union. The Prime Minister is the head of government and most day-to-day executive power rests with him. The Prime Minister selects the cabinet and generally acts as the representative for ruling party's legislative agenda. Geography Economy Lurberas is a mixed-economy with varying degrees of regulation between different sectors. Three of the ten largest companies in Lurberas, Lurtrak, Health Company, and the Lurberan Board of Water and Light, are state-owned. Historically, Lurberas' economy was centered around agriculture but in modern times, much of the Lurberan economy is based on coal, oil and other energy production, accounting for 25% of Lurberas' GDP combined. Healthcare services are also an important aspect of the Lurberan economy and there is a very high demand for doctors. So much so that the Lurberan government has begun offering immigration incentives to foreign doctors. The national currency is the Lurberan kiru (LKR) which is issued by the Central Reserve of Lurberas. Murcata is Lurberas' financial center, home to hundreds of multinational companies that generate billions in revenue. Exports Lurberas is a major exporter of aluminium, steel, and various metals in the Zerhaldic region, accounting for 15% of its exports. Demographics Education Culture Lurberan culture has been largely influenced by its agricultural history and formerly dominant Murserist culture.